Add hairy crab to the list of species represented in the industry-leading Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program.

The Zhejiang Aoling Aquatic Seeding Technology Co. Ltd. hairy crab farm in China has attained BAP certification, becoming the world’s first crab farm of any kind to earn the distinction, the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) announced in late October.

The announcement comes just days before the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo in Qingdao, Asia’s largest seafood trade show, featuring about 1,450 companies from 40 countries; GAA is exhibiting in stand E1-1101. In a brief ceremony, Mr. Zheng Haidi, general manager of Zhejiang Aoling Aquatic Seeding Technology, will accept the BAP certificate from GAA at the expo on Nov. 1.

The farm is located in Huzhou city, Zhejiang province. The crab is sold live, mainly through the Internet domestically in China.

“We are excited about bringing hairy crab into our BAP program,” said GAA Vice President Steve Hart. “What makes this even more exciting is that this is the first BAP-certified species that will be marketed live, directly to Chinese consumers. They will receive a box of live crab with the BAP logo on the packaging, giving us the opportunity to begin promoting responsible aquaculture directly to consumers.”

Hairy crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is a medium-sized burrowing crab native to the rivers and estuaries of eastern Asia. It is named for its furry claws, which resemble mittens, and therefore is also known as Chinese mitten crab. Hairy crab is a delicacy in eastern Chinese cuisine, particularly in Shanghai and Jiangsu province.

Through the first three-quarters of 2017, there were a total of 1,737 BAP-certified facilities in 31 counties and six continents, including 392 processing plants, 1,072 farms, 173 hatcheries and 95 feed mills.

BAP is the world’s most comprehensive third-party aquaculture certification program, with aquaculture standards encompassing environmental responsibility, social responsibility, food safety, animal health and welfare and traceability. It’s also the only program to cover the entire aquaculture production chain — processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills.

About BAP
A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture supply chain — farms, hatcheries, processing plants and feed mills — that assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance.